The magic of ... Science

The magic of ... Science

Science and engineering represent great opportunities for magic as many magic tricks are based on scientific principles. One of my favourite scientific tricks has to be the ‘instant ice trick’.

The instant ice trick

This simple trick is a fun way to demonstrate ‘Change in state of matter’. In this trick, filtered water is super cooled in the refrigerator – the result being normal water that instantly turns to ice at the tap of the bottle. (See video below).

In this trick, the teacher pours some water into a cup and when the cup is turned over, preferably not over a student’s head, no water pours out - the water appears to have vanished in to thin air.

The secret to this trick is a compound called sodium polyacrylate, found in disposable nappies or in the form of ‘moisture saving pellets’ from most garden/DIY stores. As the water reacts with the pellets, the water is instantly turned in to gel.

This trick is based on scientific principle used by NASA in EVAs (Extra Vehicular Activities). It can be used to introduce the un-glamorised truth about working in space and how astronauts have to wear adult size nappies when performing tasks outside of the space station.

The good news is that you don’t have to be a professional magician to perform these tricks – nor do you need to join the magic circle! Thankfully, there are a number of websites that will show you how to perform these simple tricks as well as show you how to incorporate these tricks into your lesson plans.

Below is a collection of websites dedicated to the use of magic in the classroom:

Illusioneering

A book containing easy to do magic tricks based on scientific principles covering chemistry, physics, engineering and mathematics. Each trick includes step-by-step instructions as well as tips for performing the trick.Website: http://illusioneering.org/